He Is Not What She Had In Mind. 

Jude Bertrand is not an excellent dancer. Nor does he wear the most fashionable coats. But when Marissa York's brother approaches him, desperate to preserve Marissa's tenuous reputation, Jude does prove heroic enough to offer to marry the girl. In fact, the union should more than make up for his lack of social graces--and his own scandalous past. . .


But Minds Change. . .

Marissa knows that betrothal to the son of a duke--even one as raw and masculine as Jude--will save her from ruin, but that doesn't mean she's happy about it. Soon, though, she finds that Jude has a surprisingly gentle touch--and plans to use it to persuade Marissa that their wedding day cannot come soon enough. . .

Even after finding his betrothed in the arms of another man, Nicholas, the Viscount Lancaster, knows he must wed. Propriety--and the dire state of his finances--decrees it. At least a visit to his country estate provides relief from playing the role of loving fiancé, as well as a surprising encounter with Cynthia Merrithorpe. Once his childhood companion, Cynthia has grown into a lovely, alluring woman--one who's undertaken a daring ruse to avoid being sold into a miserable marriage. 


When Nicholas left for London to assume his new title, Cynthia was forced to put aside her girlish infatuation. Now he's returned, more wickedly attractive than ever. And this time, Cynthia is determined to experience the pleasure she's dreamed of for so long. But with a man like Nicholas, seduction is only the beginning of a sensual journey that will tempt them both to defy convention, and uncover the very heart of desire. . . 

Molly Jennings has one naughty little secret: her job as a bestselling erotic fiction author. Until her inspiration runs dry—thanks to a creepy ex—and it's time to skip town and move back to tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado.

One look at former high school hunk chief of police Ben Lawson and Molly is back in business. The town gossip is buzzing at her door and, worse still, a stalker seems to be watching her every move. Thankfully, her very own lawman has taken to coming over, often. The only problem now is that Molly may have to let the cat out of the bag about her chosen profession, and straitlaced Ben will definitely not approve…

Quick review for a quick read. I read this in a matter of hours, but all I really got out of this story was a "meh" read, unfortunately. Walker and Charlie definitely had chemistry and some fun flirtations in the mix (though there were some sensual scenes that made me cringe because they were awkward), but on the whole, I wasn't really taken into this story very much even with the quirky personalities and side-characters this narrative had to offer. Walker and Charlie respectively come from really difficult places, disgraced and fired from their jobs for former relationships that involved cheating with married spouses and nursing assumptions against their reputations. They were once childhood friends but grew apart and eventually reconciling as they work at the same ski resort in Jackson Hole. I could believe in Walker's insecurities about his educational background/learning disability and his complicated relationship with his father and brother. I found it harder to believe Charlie's particular conflict in the narrative, because it seemed to be one set of conspiracies/betrayals after another in a deliberate unfolding. Add to that a bit of a rushed ending for resolution to the conflicts, and you get me scratching my head wondering where both the time and the story went. At least it was a very fast read, but it's not a story that would stick with me for much longer than the moment. "Too Hot To Handle" I thought was a much better offering in the Jackson series than this.

Overall score: 2/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.

*I received a free copy of Lessons in Pleasure from Lyrical Press via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*

Lessons in Pleasure by Victoria Dahl
Published by Lyrical Press on 10 May 2016
Genres: Adult, Erotica
Pages: 68
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
Reading Challenges: 2016 New Release Challenge,COYER Summer 2016

Newlywed Sarah Rose Hood should be blissfully happy. After all, she is married to her beloved, handsome James, who’s provided her with a lovely home, servants, and all the new dresses and books she could wish for. She cannot help but love him—and fear him, just a bit. For Sarah is unused to the attentions of gentlemen, and suddenly living so intimately with a man fills her with anxiety—and also a puzzling longing. Fortunately, her kind, experienced husband plans to awaken Sarah to the joy of giving—and receiving—pleasure, turning her unease to delicious desire, and forging a true union of body and soul…

Lessons In Pleasure shows just how long we have come, as women, since the time at which this novel is set. Well written, hot and passionate – and even with such a short story, the characters were well fleshed out and relatable.

Lessons in Pleasure is a novella set in the past, when ladies weren’t supposed to have any sexual pleasure, when men had their needs, and their wives were supposed to close their eyes and think of England. Women who were passionate were seen as eccentric at best – insane at worst, and always, always, men held the keys to their future.

James really wanted his wife to like him, but he hadn’t the slightest idea how to make that happen, and Sarah was a bit afraid of him. At the same time, the feelings she had started having made her even more afraid, especially in light of her mother’s insanity and death years before. In order to learn more about those feelings, Sarah procured books, however, only one of those books were any help to her at all. Lessons in Pleasure was what she really needed, but in order to truly get that, she had to trust James, and open up to him.

Written in third person point of view, past tense, and mostly from Sarah’s perspective Lessons in Pleasure is about more than just pleasure and marriage, it is about trust, which was something that could be fatal to women in Sarah’s time. Dahl managed to show that aspect of Sarah and her relationship with James, but also how much better and fulfilling her life could be if she dared take that step.

The new mood in the room reminded her of the countryside in the fall, when buck deer would suddenly transform from gentle, pretty animals to fierce creatures bunched with muscle.